


It's the Little Things

by ungoodpirate



Series: so many ways to be close [5]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Hair Washing, M/M, Malec, SO FLUFFY, showering together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-25
Updated: 2016-08-25
Packaged: 2018-08-11 00:14:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7867363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ungoodpirate/pseuds/ungoodpirate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Every blush and fumble, every new kiss always with more confidence than the last, every inch of skin newly revealed, every time Alec trusted him with a new layer of intimacy or a new secret, every time Alec did little things, unconsciously or purposefully, like remembering dinner orders or covering Magnus with a blanket when he fell asleep on the couch... It made Magnus feel young again. As a century old warlock who has seen more than most mortal minds could comprehend, it took a lot to make him feel young.”</p>
<p>Magnus is exhausted; Alec is a good boyfriend. They shower together; Alec washes Magnus’ hair. That’s it. That’s the plot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's the Little Things

**Author's Note:**

> For my readers who have been following this series, to clarify, this story takes place chronologically before "Bared." I have placed it into the middle of the series on purpose.

“Magnus?” Alec calls out as he enters the loft. He doesn’t have a key. He doesn’t even think Magnus has a key. The only people that could get in without permission are the people Magnus wants to let him. He somehow weaves that into his wards. Alec is one of those people. 

Alec’s not sure how he feels about that. 

Actually, he is sure. It makes him feel good in a way that is warm and confident, if a little intimidated by the implications of it. 

He loops around the loft when no one responds, dropping his jacket over the arm of chair. Nothing seems amiss other than Magnus not being there. 

He texts, ‘Hey, I’m at your loft. Where are you?’

A few seconds later he gets a response: ‘Arugh’ followed by a rather expressive, anguished-seeming emoji, followed up with ‘I’ll be there in bit.’

A bit ends up being forty-five minutes later. Magnus arrives, rumpled-looking, trudging across the loft and collapsing onto the couch next to Alec. His head lolled onto the back of the couch, eyes shut. 

“Are you okay?” Alec asks. 

Eyes still shut, Magnus says, “I had the worse client today. They changed the time of the meeting, then they wanted more than they were actually paying for, more than we discussed. Rude, frustrating, exasperating. But they have the best cubism art collection this side of the century, so I can’t just tell them to go fuck themselves.”

“Or turn them into a toad.”

Magnus huffs out a laugh. “Or turn them into a toad.” He sighs, loudly. “I’m exhausted.”

“Did you… did you want me to leave?” 

Magnus pivots his head towards Alec and peaks his eyes open, first one, then the other. “No,” he says. “I don’t want that. I’m just afraid I won’t be very company, so if you want to leave…”

“I don’t want to leave,” Alec says, a little too quickly. 

Magnus smiles, easy and sleepy. “You’re cute.” 

Alec, wide-eyed, sits there still for a moment. “I’ll order us some delivery,” he says, excusing himself off to the kitchen, where there was a draw just full of takeout menus. 

By the time he gets back, Magnus has fallen asleep on the couch.

…

When Magnus starts to come back into consciousness, it’s with that sleepy uncertainty of midday naps. He isn’t sure where he is, except that he isn’t in his king-sized bed. He’s warm, though, and safe feeling. He blinks his eyes open. He’s in loft. This is the view from the couch. Someone has pulled a blanket over him, because he hadn’t. He hadn’t even made a conscious decision to go to sleep. Sleep had overcome him. 

His head is resting on something that wasn’t a pillow. Something warm. A thigh. And there are fingers, so nice, so soothing, petting through his hair. He could fall asleep again if he let himself, but his mind had caught up with all the clues. 

“I fell asleep on you,” Magnus mutters. “Literally.” 

“That’s okay.” Alec’s fingers stop moving in Magnus’ hair. Disappointing. “The food arrived while you were sleeping. If want to eat… I ordered for you.” He got increasingly less sure with each sentence. 

With regret, Magnus sits up. He stretches his arms over his head, rolls his neck to get out the kinks. “That’d be lovely.” 

Alec starts to stand, but Magnus stills him with a “Wait.” He leans over, presses a kiss to Alec’s mouth. “Hello.” And that’s all it was supposed to be, a belated hello. But then they kiss again, and again.

“The food will get cold,” Alec says between one kiss and the next.

“It’s already cold,” Magnus says, which is a guess. Precisely then, his stomach growled, and he could feel it’s hunger. “That however…”

“I’ll get the food.” 

Magnus watches as Alec set everything out on the coffee table with care, the Chinese food cartons, the utensils, drinks, and napkins. 

Magnus checks the carton that had been placed in front of him. “You know what I like,” he says. 

“I guessed,” Alec says, taking again his seat beside him, then, “I remembered.” 

Magnus hide a smile that was silly and completely inspired by puppy love affection. Alec remembered. 

After an afternoon of dealing with someone who just wanted things from him, after a lifetime of it, someone doing simple, thoughtful things for him, for no reason at all… it was better than all the gold and rubies, the spell books, the jewelry, enchanted objects, and whatever else used to pay for his talents. 

“Feeling better?” Alec asked after they were done eating. 

“Yes,” Magnus said, although weariness still weighed down his limbs. It would take a while for his magic to completely recharge. “I could use a shower.” 

“I can wait.” 

“You could join me.” 

Alec bit his bottom lip, clearly thinking. 

“It’s okay if you’re not ready,” Magnus says. “But to be clear, showering together doesn’t necessarily mean sex. It can just be two people getting naked and wet together… Which now that I say it aloud, sounds an awful lot like sex.”

Alec laughs. The room feels alive. 

“How about this. I’m going to go get in the shower. And if you feel so inclined, you can come and join. Consider it an open invitation.”

…

Magnus washes his face of makeup at the sink before getting into the shower. He thinks Alec will join him; he thinks it’s a 60-40 chance. 

He hears the bathroom door open, smirks and waits. He can make out the dark shape of Alec through the steamed up glass. 

After a little delay, the shower door opens and Alec steps in. Magnus keeps his back to him to let him acclimate, to make the first move. But Alec doesn’t say anything, doesn’t touch. Magnus has a large, modern-style shower in his loft, one large enough that two people could even shower together without even touching if they maneuvered correctly, which was kind of opposite the point. 

“I’m too tired to wash my own hair. Can you help me?” Magnus says. 

Alec’s feet squeak on the wet floor. “Um…” 

Magnus helpfully points out the correct shampoo bottle amongst the other toiletries.

When Alec’s fingers started to massage across his scalp, Magnus tilts his head back and couldn’t help but release a moan of satisfaction.

“You’re enjoying this…”

“You’re very good at it,” Magnus says. “You could do it for a living.”

Alec snorts, and the trick had been done. Alec is at ease enough to snort. 

To rinse the suds out of his hair at the best angle with the showerhead, Magnus turned to face Alec. “You can look at me all you want,” he says as he dips his head back into the stream of water. 

“...Okay.”

“Okay? I hope I’m more impressive than okay.”

Alec made a cough-laugh hybrid noise. He was flushed, or maybe that was the result of the steam.

This is their first time seeing each other naked, fully. There’d been heavy petting over clothes, and under shirts, and without shirts.

Magnus is fine with taking things slow. He understands how scary first times can be. For someone like Alec, who had been taught his whole life the feelings he had for men were wrong, it added a whole another journey on to the usual anxieties. 

Plus, it meant he could savor it. As an immortal, he had no rush. He could never re-experience his first times, but he could experience the first times with a new partner, and be the first person Alec got to experience those intimate things with. 

Every blush and fumble, every new kiss always with more confidence than the last, every inch of skin newly revealed, every time Alec trusted him with a new layer of intimacy or a new secret, every time Alec did little things, unconsciously or purposefully, like remembering dinner orders or covering him with a blanket... It made Magnus feel young again. As a century old warlock who has seen more than most mortal minds could comprehend, it took a lot to make him feel young.

He knew Alec was special the first moment he laid eyes on him, but he hadn’t realized unfathomably how. Every day, he is surprised a little more. 

Magnus wasn’t sure who touched who first, but then they are kissing under the water like they were under the rain, slick chests pressed together. 

“We’re going to drown if we keep kissing in here,” Alec says, coughing a little when some water went down the wrong pipe.

Magnus teases back, “What a beautiful way to die.” 

...

Alec stays the night, which had been the plan. Sleeping together had become comfortable and cozy, and Magnus falls asleep easier the nights Alec is there then the night wasn’t. This night he slipped into sleep, amazed at how such an awful starting day had turned into a grand night. 

...

Laying longways across the bed, head hanging off the side, Alec watches Magnus at the mirror, lining his eyes with midnight blue.

“Why do you wear makeup if it’s so much work?” He had been watching, patiently, for over five minutes. 

“Because I like it,” Magnus says. “Haven’t you ever done something just because you like it?” 

Alec quickly sorts through all his responsibilities in his mind, and lands on one thing. “Spending time with you.”

Magnus smiles, light and surprised. He crosses the room. “You’re cute.” he says, leaning over to press a peck onto Alec’s mouth. “Now, get up. We’re going out to brunch.” 

“Those aren’t brunch clothes,” Alec said, teasing. All of Magnus’ outfits looked like he was ready to go out clubbing. It got him some odd looks sometimes, walking amongst mundanes at non-clubbing hours.

“I bet you haven’t been out to brunch in your life,” Magnus says. Brunch is probably considered to superfluously for overserious Shadowhunters. 

Alec shook is head no, confirming Magnus’ suspicions. 

“Brunch is so much better than breakfast. First of all, there are mimosas.”

“What’re mimosas?”

“Orange juice and champagne.” 

“For breakfast?”

“For brunch,” Magnus corrects. “You have so much to learn.”

“Teach me,” Alec says, and it’s so teasing and flirting, Magnus almost believes he’s hallucinating. Every day, a new surprise.

**Author's Note:**

> You can all thank magnusmadecocktails for this update. Because they sent me a nice little message on tumblr about this series that got me in the mindset to write more. 
> 
> You can find me on tumblr at ungoodgatsby.tumblr.com (personal/fandom blog) & bibliophileanon.tumblr.com (book lovers blog).


End file.
